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eBay’s support for Opportunity Fund comes from so many levels of the organization. What does it mean to have a “culture of philanthropy” at eBay?

Since eBay’s inception 25 years ago, we have been a catalyst for a better and more sustainable form of e-commerce—one in which people are empowered and opportunities are open to everyone. We create economic opportunity by connecting people from widely different backgrounds and geographies in a global marketplace that is open and inclusive for all. This sentiment also fuels our approach to philanthropy at eBay.

Through the eBay Foundation, we’re focused on our mission of inclusive entrepreneurship and partnership with organizations like Opportunity Fund which provide meaningful resources to entrepreneurs from untapped communities. We rally our employees around this mission, too: over 50% of eBay employees participated in our Foundation programs in 2019.

Through eBay for Charity’s COVID-19 relief matching campaign, an opportunity for the eBay community to buy, sell, and donate in support of nonprofits, we featured and raised nearly $55,000 for Accion Opportunity Fund. We also offer community members the chance to support the Opportunity Fund on eBay by purchasing a Gift That Gives Back, or one of the items listed on their behalf or to donate at checkout.

Why do you support small businesses? Why is this support especially important both in the short term, and in the long term?

As a purpose driven company, eBay seeks to empower people and create economic opportunity for all. Championing small businesses around the world has been a part of eBay’s DNA since the company’s earliest days. eBay created an ecommerce marketplace that is accessible, inclusive, and fair. We empower small businesses to grow and reach new buyers online with little barrier to entry, regardless of size, background or geographic location—just as our founder Pierre Omidyar envisioned.

Small businesses have been essential to making eBay one of the world’s largest and most vibrant marketplaces. Realizing the impact that COVID-19 and shelter-in-place mandates had on small businesses and brick-and-mortar businesses around the world, we built on the work of our Retail Revival program to invite brick-and-mortar retailers to keep their business going on eBay through a small business initiative called Up & Running, which evolved to adaptations in over 25 markets worldwide. Beyond the effects of COVID-19, supporting small businesses has been and will continue to be a priority at eBay, both on our marketplace and through our philanthropic efforts.

The eBay Foundation supports small businesses through our grantmaking, like our recent employee-led program Global Give: Rapid Response, an initiative to support entrepreneurs from untapped communities around the world in response to the tremendous challenges they are currently facing as a result of the pandemic. Beginning this summer, we asked employees to learn about and vote for nonprofits that our company should support with grants, based on applications sourced by the eBay Foundation. Employees contributed 16,000 votes to organizations supporting entrepreneurs around the world, resulting in $3 million in total grant funding distributed to 53 organizations around the world.

Please tell me about eBay’s commitment to racial justice, and how your philanthropic priorities reflect that.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion sit at the heart of everything we do at eBay—they are at the core of who we are and how we build an eBay for everyone. From how we recruit talent, to the spaces we create for employees to express themselves and the way we empower small businesses—DEI is woven into the fabric of eBay.

The eBay Foundation’s mission aims to support historically untapped groups as they start and grow their businesses — including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Women, Veterans and LGBTQ+. We have invested in organizations that support these groups, including Kiva, Inner City Advisors, and Hello Alice for a number of years.

eBay also offers a matching gifts program to increase the impact of our global employees’ donations and their volunteer time. This year, we also offered a bonus matching gifts program to ensure that employees can further this impact to organizations that matter to them—including those focused on racial justice.

Additionally, this summer we donated over $1 million, split between the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Equal Justice Initiative, in an effort to take action against systemic racism and injustice. We will continue to invest in untapped communities through our efforts.

$15 million in philanthropy amplifies work of the nation’s leading nonprofit small business lender and helps launch $100 million capacity-building campaign in a time when resources are most needed

On August 6, 2020, Accion Opportunity Fund (AOF), the nation’s leading nonprofit organization supporting diverse, resilient entrepreneurs with financial support, advocacy and business advice, announced today it has received a $15 million transformative grant from MacKenzie Scott. This is the largest individual donation Accion Opportunity Fund has received in its 26-year history.

The grant accelerates AOF’s efforts to reach thousands of underserved entrepreneurs with $1.2 billion in capital across the United States in the next five years. It also kicks off a $100 million capacity-building campaign, scheduled to launch fall 2020, to increase resources, including access to affordable credit, connections, and quality business advice for entrepreneurs who may otherwise be left behind.

“Like many, I watched the first half of 2020 with a mixture of heartbreak and horror,” Ms. Scott said in a statement regarding her philanthropy. “Life will never stop finding fresh ways to expose inequities in our systems; or waking us up to the fact that a civilization this imbalanced is not only unjust, but also unstable. What fills me with hope is the thought of what will come if each of us reflects on what we can offer.”

Accion Opportunity Fund creates a more equitable financial system by finding, funding, and supporting small businesses run by people of color, women and immigrants. Nearly 90% of businesses in its portfolio are run by entrepreneurs of color, women, and immigrants.

AOF CEO Luz Urrutia praised the gift from the philanthropist and novelist. “We are deeply humbled and grateful for Ms. Scott’s extraordinary generosity and confidence in Accion Opportunity Fund and other organizations that are working tirelessly to widen economic opportunities for many who have been undervalued and excluded for far too long.”

MacKenzie Scott donated $1.7 billion to organizations tackling a variety of social issues. Her contributions included support for women, racial equality and economic mobility – all causes supported by AOF and impacted by the organization’s mission.

Phil Black, True Ventures Co-founder, Accion Opportunity Fund Board member, and chair of AOF’s upcoming Campaign Steering Committee, said, “Ms. Scott’s leadership and generosity – especially during this moment of a global pandemic and the fight for racial equality –  will inspire other philanthropists and advocates as AOF advances its mission and bolsters its impact in a time when resources are more important than ever.”

“Her focus on building a more just, equitable society reflects our highest ambitions, which makes this grant, in this moment, so special,” said Black.

Tennis icon and fashion designer Serena Williams is launching Unstoppable, a special edition jewelry capsule to benefit Accion Opportunity Fund. The two pieces, in sterling silver with a diamond accent, are etched with the word Unstoppable around a polished circle. The elegant simplicity of the design is meant to reflect Serena’s positivity and determination, and to inspire her fans and followers also to be Unstoppable. The bracelet and necklace are accessibly priced at $100. Serena’s Unstoppable pieces are not only great-looking, on-trend jewelry, but they will also remind you that your strength, kindness, and grace are, indeed, Unstoppable. And simply knowing that a piece of jewelry you put on in the morning helps others in impactful ways is empowering. Look fabulous and do good!

Through August 5, 2020, 100% of net proceeds of the Unstoppable limited-edition pieces benefited exclusively Accion Opportunity Fund’s Small Business Relief Fund to provide support directly to Black small business owners. In addition, a percentage of other Serena Williams Jewelry core collection purchases will be donated to Opportunity Fund. The Serena Williams Jewelry Unstoppable collection is available as an e-commerce exclusive on serenawilliamsjewelry.com. In collaboration with global diamond manufacturer K.P. Sanghvi, Serena Williams Jewelry features ethically-sourced and conflict-free diamonds.

June 11, 2020, New York, NY

 — Superfly announces its latest effort, Small Business Live, a philanthropic music experience supporting minority-owned small businesses across the U.S that urgently need our help. The event will take place Saturday, June 20, 2020, from 4-10 p.m. EDT, and will include performances by some of music’s biggest stars live across the country. On-site at local small businesses close to their hearts, as well as other unique locations, artists will share with viewers their personal stories behind what each business means to them and their communities.

The event will be livestreamed on TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile video, which has been seen as a new home for several small businesses and entrepreneurs on the platform. Additionally, the event will be streamed live across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, LiveXLive and Bustle Digital Group’s publications, and will be presented by Superfly with founding partners TikTok, AT&T Business, GoDaddy, Vistaprint and Square. Bustle Digital Group, producer of countless pieces of content spotlighting at-risk small businesses, will serve as the official media partner for this event and stream the event on Bustle.com, as well as its other sites and social channels.

All proceeds from Small Business Live will be donated to Accion Opportunity Fund. Superfly chose to support this non-profit given their nearly three decades track record of providing almost 90% of their loans to small businesses founded by people of color, as well as supporting immigrant-owned and women-owned businesses. Viewers will be encouraged to donate to the cause via text per a special code that will be made readily available closer to the June 20 event date. Charitable funds will be accepted during the livestreamed event, and fans will be able to donate on Superfly’s website before and after the livestream through June 26.

“Entrepreneurs of color are denied credit more often and charged higher rates for money they borrow to fund their businesses. We need to accelerate support to underserved businesses in order to reach our full potential,” said Luz Urrutia, CEO of Accion Opportunity Fund. “We have to decide what we want our Main Streets to look like when this is over, and we must act decisively to keep small businesses alive and ready to rebuild. This is a fun way to do something really important. Everyone’s support will make a huge difference to small business owners, their families and employees who have been devastated by this pandemic, the recession, and centuries of racism, xenophobia, and oppression.”

Small Business Live will include a diverse lineup of some of music’s biggest names spanning multiple genres. Multi-platinum MC and “One of the Very Best Rappers Alive” (Noisey), 2 Chainz, two-time Grammy Award-winning singer-rapper, T-Pain, Billboard Women in Music’s 2015 “Powerhouse,” Brittany Howard, Top Ten soul inspired R&B artist, Leon Bridges, multi-Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter Brandi Carlile, and Americana-soul notable, Nathaniel Rateliff are all set to headline Small Business Live.

Joining these award winning headliners will be R&B singer-songwriter, Allen Stone, Nashville based indie-alternative rock band, Moon Taxi, Bob Marley’s grandson, singer-songwriter Bam Marley, and viral TikTok creator, rapper, singer, and music producer, Jufu, who is a true testament to TikTok’s ability to propel emerging artists and raise their platform as the destination for music discovery. Every artist involved will take part in helping support a small business of their choosing.

“Three and a-half million small businesses are currently at risk of permanent closure due to COVID-19, with a disproportionate number of them being minority-owned,” said Rich Goodstone, co-founder of Superfly. “We look forward to raising the profile of this issue by showcasing amazing music performances and the stories of small businesses across America that urgently need our support.”

Fans can to tune-in to Small Business Live at: https://www.tiktok.com/@tiktok Viewers can also visit the following link for more ways to tune-in: https://SmallBiz.Live

About Superfly:

Superfly is a live entertainment and brand experience company shaping how the world plays and connects. Founded in 1996, Superfly’s expertise is building cultural experiences with a distinct identity, such as the iconic Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Outside Lands and The FRIENDS Experience that are equally desired by brands and destinations for fans. Additionally, Superfly strategically helps brands establish and raise their profile through programming, design, digital, social, influencer and experiential platforms. Superfly is headquartered in New York, with offices in Chicago and San Francisco. Learn more at http://superf.ly/, and follow Twitter @Superfly, Facebook www.facebook.com/superfly and Instagram @superflypresents.